72 The Effects of a Drought 



animals when exhumed, i.e., soundly asleep, 

 rather than dead, and all slowly revived when 

 placed in clear, cool water. I estimated that 

 they had been in their cramped quarters for 

 at least three weeks. Two weeks later, I 

 hunted for others, but failed to find them ; 

 but the day after the first prolonged rain I 

 found the mud minnows in their usual abun- 

 dance in this same brook, which now had 

 about one-half its ordinary flow of water, 

 and the frogs were dozing on the banks and 

 leaping into the stream as unconcernedly as 

 if nothing unusual had occurred. 



Possibly the above simple narration of 

 certain fats may seem to be of no special 

 interest or importance, but there were two 

 features of it that do not appear to have been 

 treated of in general natural histories : the 

 self-inhumation of the fish and frogs and the 

 wonderful promptness of the return of life 

 to the temporarily depopulated areas. It 

 does not seem unreasonable to suggest that as 

 long as these inhumed animals could retain 

 the.ir moisture they could preserve their 

 lives. Both the frogs and this one fish can 

 withstand prolonged deprivation of food. I 

 have tried the cruel experiment in one in- 



